Opening Pathways for Underrepresented High School Students to Biomedical Research Careers: The Emory University RISE Program

Abstract

Increasing the college graduation rates of underrepresented minority students in science disciplines is essential to attain a diverse workforce for the 21st century. The Research Internship and Science Education (RISE) program attempts to motivate and prepare students from the Atlanta Public School system, where underrepresented minority (URM) students comprise a majority of the population, for biomedical science careers by offering the opportunity to participate in an original research project. Students work in a research laboratory from the summer of their sophomore year until graduation, mentored by undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (postdocs). In addition, they receive instruction in college-level biology, scholastic assessment test (SAT) preparation classes, and help with the college application process. During the last 4 yr, RISE students have succeeded in the identification and characterization of a series of proteins involved in the regulation of nuclear organization and transcription. All but 1 of 39 RISE students have continued on to 4-year college undergraduate studies and 61% of those students are currently enrolled in sciencerelated majors. These results suggest that the use of research-based experiences at the high school level may contribute to the increased recruitment of underrepresented students into science-related careers.

The impact of college‐ and university‐run high school summer programs on students’ end of high school STEM career aspirations

“…Data collected through an evaluation of the Geosciences Exploration Summer Program ( N = 59) showed an increase in participants’ awareness of the kinds of careers available in the geosciences (Houser et al., ). Rohrbaugh and Corces () studied the Emory University RISE program, which, at the time of the study, had enrolled 39 students. The majority of participants indicated they would be more likely to pursue a career in science (Rohrbaugh & Corces, ).…”

Examining Summer Laboratory Research Apprenticeships for High School Students as a Factor in Entry to MD/PhD Programs at Matriculation

“…This is explained in part by prior research that has found that secondary students’ confidence for doing science increases after participation in OST research programs (Templin et al. , 1999; Rohrbaugh and Corces, 2011) and science-focused activities (Bhattacharyya et al. , 2011).…”

A Controlled Evaluation of a High School Biomedical Pipeline Program: Design and Methods

“…(National Center for Education Statistics, 2007) Previous evaluations have also been compromised by small sample sizes and high loss to follow-up. Among programs that have attempted evaluations, (Beck et al, 1978; Butler et al, 1991; Cregler, 1993; Davis and Davidson, 1982; Felix et al, 2004; Jones and Flowers, 1990; Marshall, 1975; McKendall et al, 2000; Nickens et al, 1994; Rohrbaugh and Corces, 2011; Rosenbaum et al, 2007; Sikes and Schwartz-Bloom, 2009; Thurmond and Cregler, 1994) few have been funded to conduct controlled trials in which program participants are compared with an appropriate control group. Additional controlled trials are needed to better evaluate program efficacy, and to determine which components are most successful and which students benefit most.…”